D.R. Semmes Tri-Point YMCA

San Antonio, Texas
32,000 SF

The Tri-point YMCA began as a unique venture between Trinity Baptist church outreach and the San Antonio YMCA to provide youth with a safe place for leisure and after school activities in the community of Knob Hill and Monte Vista. The client request was simple; create a welcoming but protected recreational and meeting place for the neighborhood.

The new YMCA is an adaptive re-use of a former grocery store which includes facilities for cardio and weight training, spinning, aerobics, childcare, locker rooms, a center for teens, and YMCA San Antonio corporate offices. Openness of the interior spaces was a primary design goal. Exercise room and playroom walls contain nearly to the floor windows along the main curved hallway which adds both interest and continuous views from the rooms to the large cardio/weights area. A porous canopy that welcomes visitors to the facility filters natural light and visually changes the look of the entrance from day to night.